Bangladesh

News about Bangladesh, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 26, 2015

Anticorruption court in Bangladesh issues arrest warrant for opposition leader and former Prime Min Khaleda Zia after she fails to appear for hearings on embezzlement charges tied to her time in office; lawyers for Zia, who led protests against Prime Min Sheikh Hasina in January, maintain that charges are politically motivated. MORE

Feb. 21, 2015

Italian fashion company Benetton announces plant to contribute to Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund, which will compensate victims of 2013 clothing factory collapse in Bangladesh, in response to petition organized by international advocacy group. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Special tribunal in Bangladesh hands death penalty to Abdus Subhan, leading figure in country's largest Islamic political party, for war crimes committed in 1971 independence war. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Western apparel companies VF, PVH, Gap, El Corte Ingles and others will resume business with Azim Group of Bangladesh on condition that company will continue to maintain civil relations with its labor unions and stop any assaults of union leaders at its factories. MORE

Jan. 6, 2015

Bangladesh police say four members of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party died in clashes with security forces and supporters of governing party supporters in three northern districts; violence occurred even though security was enhanced to prepare for anniversary of re-election of governing party. MORE

Jan. 5, 2015

Bangladeshi police ban all rallies in capital Dhaka, and prevent top opposition leader Khaleda Zia from leaving her office. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

VF Corp and Li & Fung have announced that they are ending or suspending orders with Azim Group, company that owns two Bangladeshi apparel factories where union leaders have been assaulted; separate investigations by VF and Worker Rights Consortium found that beatings captured on video were instigated by factory managers; United States, Europe and workers' advocacy groups have been pressuring Bangladesh and its garment industry to improve worker conditions and protect workers' right to unionize. MORE

Nov. 25, 2014

Special tribunal in Bangladesh convicts Mobarak Hossain for slaying 33 civilians during Bangladesh's 1971 independence war; sentences him to death for his role in mass killings. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Bangladesh suffers nationwide power outage after after transmission line in electrical grid fails; blackout is biggest in Bangladesh since 2007. MORE

Oct. 30, 2014

Op-Ed article by filmmaker and author Lipika Pelham points out there are millions of child laborers in Bangladesh, many earning no pay; holds although many people in country would deny it, Bangladesh practices its own form of slavery. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Two large groups of retailers and apparel brands complete major step toward advancing garment-factory safety in Bangladesh by inspecting nearly 1,700 garment factories in country; uncover safety violations ranging from minor to dangerous, and ask that 41 factories be temporarily closed. MORE

Oct. 11, 2014

Tahmima Anam Op-Ed article notes fascination in Bangladesh with series of Hollywood-style bank heists there; holds while public is distracted with bank robberies, more threatening bank robbers are hiding in plain sight in form of loan defaulters; contends poorly run state-run banks are largely to blame for the problem, and calls for reforms. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court commutes death sentence of Islamist political leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee, who was convicted in 2013 of war crimes during nation’s 1971 war for independence. MORE

Aug. 14, 2014

Bangladeshi police arrest Abu Bakar Siddique, owner of a ferry that capsized and sank, leaving more than 100 people dead or missing; he is charged with culpable homicide. MORE

Aug. 7, 2014

Police in Bangladesh launch a manhunt for owners, captain and crew of ferry that capsized and sank in the Padma River; vessel was overloaded, carrying at least three times its maximum licensed capacity of 85 people; 137 passengers from ferry are reported missing and 19 bodies have been recovered. MORE

Aug. 6, 2014

Divers fight powerful currents and heavy rain while trying to recover bodies from river ferry that capsized in Bangladesh; officials say vessel was severely overloaded with passengers, and attempted river crossing despite warnings of severe weather. MORE

Aug. 5, 2014

Ferry overloaded with more than 200 passengers is hit by high waves, capsizes and sinks while crossing a river in central Bangladesh; despite rescue efforts by naval forces and fire brigades, at least half the passengers are missing and presumed dead. MORE

Jun. 26, 2014

Series of inspections through more than 1,000 of Bangladesh's apparel factories has been emotionally freighted, with workers, manufacturers, building owners and government officials watching process with conflicting sentiments; in several cases where hazardous conditions were uncovered, there has been considerable resistance to closing a factory, as owners worry about losing orders and workers fear losing their jobs. MORE

Jun. 10, 2014

Researchers working in Bangladesh suggest that bacteria living in intestines of severely malnourished child may determine whether child can be saved, and that children may need to be given bacteria, as well as food, for survival. MORE

May. 18, 2014

Rescuers recover 54 bodies from ferry that sank in river during storm in central Bangladesh, resuming their search after protests by relatives of people missing in disaster; 12 people are believed to be still unaccounted for. MORE

Apr. 28, 2014

Editorial cites horrific building collapse in Bangladesh in April 2013 that killed more than 1,100 garment workers; contends labor groups, Western clothing companies and Bangladesh government have made some progress to improve working conditions but more needs to be done. MORE

Apr. 22, 2014

Many Western clothing brands are pushing to inspect Bangladesh factories after catastrophic collapses or fires, but they have divided into two sometimes feuding camps; Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety is American-dominated inspection group, while Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety is primarily European. MORE

Mar. 29, 2014

Bangladesh remains atop list of highly populated coastal areas threatened with devastation as sea levels rise dramatically due to global warming; residents lead tenuous existence, clinging to their way of life as more and more of their land is claimed by the sea; situation has led to growing sense of outrage in developing nations where millions face dire environmental threats despite having contributed little to industrial pollution that is root cause of warming. MORE

Mar. 29, 2014

Walmart, Gap and Children’s Place become first three United States companies to contribute toward $40 million fund for victims of Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, in which more than 1,100 workers died; sixteen companies have contributed to Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund, which aims to pay lost wages and medical bills for victims. MORE

Mar. 23, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Lipika Pelham draws parallels between experience of her grandmother, who witnessed Bengali village she grew up in turn from British India to Pakistan to Bangladesh, and experiences of Palestinians who fled Jerusalem in 1948; contends both Israelis and Palestinians must realize that without addressing the right of return for the displaced, there is no chance for reconciliation and peace. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia and other opposition leaders are indicted on charges of misappropriating funds during a raucous court hearing in Dhaka, Bangladesh; indictments, stemming from two long-delayed corruption cases, could further inflame country’s already tense political situation. MORE

Mar. 12, 2014

Inspection reports of several garment factory buildings in Bangladesh are released nearly one year after factory building collapse killed 1,100 workers; findings show that some of first ten factories inspected lacked adequate fire doors or required sprinkler systems, and had dangerously high weight loads; inspections were organized through Bangladesh Accord Foundation, which aims to look at 1,500 factories by September 2014. MORE

Feb. 24, 2014

Five global clothing brands and retailers become the first contributors to a new fund raising $40 million for victims of the April 2013 Rana Plaza factory disaster in Bangladesh, and activists are campaigning to pressure other brands to make donations; companies are El Corte Ingles, Inditex, Loblaw, Mango and Mascot. MORE

Feb. 10, 2014

Delowar Hossain and Mahmuda Akther, husband and wife whose Bangladesh factory was consumed by fire in 2012, killing 112 employees, surrender to Dhaka court; pair has been charged with culpable homicide because they told employees to return to work after fire broke out. MORE

Jan. 31, 2014

Matiur Rahman Nizami, leader of Bangladesh's main Islamist opposition party, is among 14 people convicted and sentenced to death for smuggling weapons to rebel group in India in 2004. MORE

Jan. 12, 2014

Longstanding rivalry between Bangladeshi Prime Min Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia threatens country's political stability; Zia called for boycott of national election, hoping subsequent protests would lead to new vote, but without new election, Hasina will preside over one-party government. MORE

Jan. 7, 2014

Bangladesh's governing Awami League party celebrates its victory in general elections; party dismisses critics who say the vote's legitimacy is undercut by violence, low turnout and the absence of the country's main opposition force from the ballots. MORE

Jan. 7, 2014

Editorial holds that street protests in Cambodia, Bangladesh and Thailand illustrate fragile state of democracy in many developing countries and their need for checks and balances; contends elections themselves do not guarantee fairness, and that such nations must develop institutions that can balance the power of political leaders. MORE

Jan. 6, 2014

Bangladesh sees low election turnout of 22 percent, compared to 87 percent in previous elections, amid political violence that leaves 19 people dead; low turnout is heavily influenced by opposition Bangladeshi National Party's refusal to participate after government rejects its demand to put in place nonpartisan caretaker government to oversee voting. MORE

Jan. 5, 2014

Bangladesh National Party, country's main opposition group, boycotts upcoming national elections as police blockade party leader Begum Khaleda Zia in her home and street protests become more violent. MORE

Dec. 31, 2013

Global fashion brands cannot reach consensus over what responsibility they should bear toward victims of 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which exposed abuses in garment industry; four brands are helping finance $40 million compensation fund, but many others have so far refused to contribute. MORE

Dec. 30, 2013

Growing sense of crisis grips Bangladesh as government closes most forms of transportation in capital of Dhaka, arrests hundreds and bars main opposition alliance from holding protest rally. MORE

Dec. 30, 2013

Editorial criticizes American government for buying uniforms for federal workers from overseas countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia that often violate basic labor standards; urges government to heed its own advice, as it pushes retailers to demand better working conditions at factories in the developing world that make their merchandise; holds it must set an example for the private sector to follow. MORE

Dec. 24, 2013

Several prominent retailers and labor groups join with Bangladesh government to create estimated $40 million compensation fund to aid families of over 1,100 workers killed in Rana Plaza factory building collapse; fund is considered landmark in compensating families of garment industry victims, in terms of both the amount to be paid and the sophistication of the arrangements. MORE

Dec. 21, 2013

Editorial notes most victims have not received adequate medical and financial help nearly eight months after factory collapse killed more than 1,100 garment workers in Bangladesh; calls on governments and clothing industry consortium to make good on their promise to help. MORE

Dec. 19, 2013

Survivors and families of victims of collapsed Rana Plaza garment factory building in Bangladesh continue to receive little aid, eight months after disaster; more than 1,100 Bangladeshi workers died and many were maimed in collapse, with those left behind receiving no guarantees of help or compensation. MORE

Dec. 13, 2013

Execution of Bangladeshi opposition leader Abdul Quader Molla spurs violent protests across the country, with worse expected when the opposition calls for a nationwide strike; Molla was the first person executed as a result of a war-crimes tribunal that has sought to hold people accountable for atrocities committed during the country's 1971 war for independence. MORE

Dec. 12, 2013

Lawyers for Abdul Quader Molla, leader of Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party, seek to have his death sentence thrown out after a late-night reprieve saved his life hours before he was to be hanged; Molla was convicted of war crimes during the nation’s war of independence against Pakistan. MORE

Dec. 5, 2013

Memo From Bangladesh; poisonous rivalry between opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia and Prime Min Sheikh Hasina is eliciting international concern as elections loom and country is tossed into chaos. MORE

Nov. 30, 2013

Factory workers angered by rumors that a colleague was killed by police set fire to one of Bangladesh’s largest garment factories, destroying the nine-story building; no casualties are reported in incident. MORE

Nov. 23, 2013

Walmart, Sears, Children’s Place and other American companies that were selling goods produced at two Bangladeshi garment factories beset by calamities are refusing to join effort to compensate families of more than 1,200 workers who died in those disasters. MORE

Nov. 21, 2013

Two groups representing dozens of American and European retailers agree on joint inspection standards for thousands of garment factories in Bangladesh as part of their effort to improve workplace safety there. MORE

{"type":"article","show_header_text":false,"header":"Articles","query":"","search_query":"(glocations:\"Bangladesh\" OR glocations.contains:\"\\(Bangladesh\\)\") AND -type_of_material:\"Editorial\" AND -type_of_material:\"Correction\" AND -type_of_material:\"Obituary\" AND -type_of_material:\"paid death notice\" AND -headline:\"paid notice\" AND -type_of_material:\"Caption\" AND -type_of_material:\"Summary\" AND -type_of_material:\"Schedule\" AND -type_of_material:\"Letter\" AND -news_desk:\"Travel\" AND -news_desk:\"Escapes\" AND -news_desk:\"Dining\" AND -news_desk:\"Fashion\" AND -news_desk:\"Fashions\" AND -news_desk:\"Style\" AND -news_desk:\"Styles\" AND -news_desk:\"Society\" AND -news_desk:\"Home\" AND -news_desk:\"Home\/Style\" AND -news_desk:\"Living\" AND -news_desk:\"Beauty\" AND -news_desk:\"Design\" AND -news_desk:\"Theater\" AND -subject:\"Theater\" AND -news_desk:\"Movies\" AND -subject:\"Motion Pictures\" AND -subject:\"Movies\" AND -news_desk:\"Great Homes and Destinations\"","num_search_articles":"15","show_summary":true,"show_byline":true,"show_pub_date":true,"hide_thumbnails":false,"show_kicker":false,"show_title":false,"show_related_topics":true,"show_rad_links":true,"show_subtopics":true,"exclude_topics":"BANGLADESH","exclude":["","",""],"more_on_header":"MORE ON BANGLADESH AND:","alternate_index_subidx":"","show_thumbnails":true}

A special tribunal dealing with war crimes related to Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war convicted and sentenced a leading political figure to death on Wednesday for crimes committed during the war, including mass killings.